UCI students are getting scammed and losing thousands of dollars according to the UCI Police Department.
Each of the defraudd students has lost from $1,000 to $200,000.
The scammers are impersonating police officers and even pretending to be international police. They are calling the UCI students and claiming that there is an active warrant for their arrest.
To avoid jail the scammers tell the students that they must make an immediate “bail payment,” often via wire transfers, gift cards or even cryptocurrency.
The Caller ID may look official but the scammers can use technology to immitate real police phone numbers. That is called spoofing. Real police officers will NEVER call you and demand money or payments.
What to do? Hang up immediately and block those phone numbers. Then contact the actual police department that was spoofed and tell them about the scam call. UCI Students may also call the UCI police at 949-824-5223.
UCIPD detectives are actively investigating and collaborating with students to recover their losses.
Spread the word. Protect your friends!
It’s safe to assume ANYTHING by phone or email is a scam. If real law enforcement is looking for you, they’ll knock down your door at 5AM. Also, remember back in the pre-tech days of the Bell System when our telecommunications systems were a regulated monopoly, not a private equity funded Wild West free-for-all for scammers, advertisers, and pornographers that serves primarily to enrich profiteering CEOs and tech oligarchs? This is progress? We shouldn’t accept this as normal!